Maybe the SAT Isn't So Bad After All

In this week's Pope Center Clarion Call, I discuss the recent book Uneducated Guesses by Howard Wainer -- specifically his analysis of the impact of colleges adopting "SAT optional" policies. Wainer finds that when schools do that, the students who decide not to report their scores will be academically weaker ones. The competence of the student body declines somewhat. Those who argue that SAT scores provide no useful information seem to be mistaken.